lcand1923

How wonderful to read of VSAN’s NCL cruise with Grandson and CaroleSP’s cruise with children and grands! I know both will be difficult, but both will be major steps made easier because they are accompanied by folks who love them and will understand if alone time is needed. PLEASE let us know how things went when you return. Love and Prayers to both of you!

The first thing I would do is list the places you would like to visit, then look at the cruise lines that go there. I really enjoy Uniworld. I’ve been on Celebrity, Princess, Cunard, Regent, Oceania and HAL. HAL has some smaller ships and I find the atmosphere on it to be similar to the atmosphere on Uniworld — friendly crew, outstanding service, casual style. They are building larger vessels and have casinos, but the atmosphere is similar to Uniworld’s. Oceania ranks next in my estimation regarding atmosphere comparable to Uniworld’s. Both of these are not all-inclusive, but you can buy packages that help with the end-of-cruise bill. As far as size, Regent is the smallest of the ones that I have sailed. They are a more formal than HAL or Oceania, but are all inclusive. I would avoid Celebrity, Princess and Cunard. I think your husband and you would find them much too big and the atmosphere is VERY different than Uniworld.

All of you who keep The Daily going are AWESOME!!! So maybe we should call today “The HAL Daily Awesomeness Day!” All of the girls in one branch of my family have their Mother’s Name as their middle name. All of the boys in one branch of my family have Joseph as their middle name. This tradition is up to its third generation, so it may just stick. The weather forecast looks like winter may finally hit. We have blooming trees and jonquils and new grass everywhere. I just hope it survives the nastiness that is forecast for this weekend. Stay Safe, Everyone!

I consider Sitka the must see port in Alaska. It is a lovely walking town and you get a good sense of the Russian influence in the settlement of Alaska. I would suggest that you look at Anne Vipond’s “Alaska by Cruise Ship” to get a decent overview of what is available at the various ports and help you make a decision. I’ve just booked my sixth cruise because I still haven’t seen enough of this gorgeous state!

WOW!!!! Thank you so very, very much. Your Grand Voyage FAQ is Fantastic!

I’ve booked a cabin for the Grand Australia Cruise in 2024. I’m trying to anticipate how I will handle “all the stuff” that happens at the beginning of the year (taxes, birthdays, holidays). A question just occurred to me. How does HAL handle your Onboard Account? Do you get a bill every 30 days, or do you get a Grand Bill at the end of the Grand Cruise?

It is somewhat ironic what happens when you cruise solo. Twice now, while on a Shore Excursion, I’ve struck up a conversation with someone. As we talk, I’ll discover that the person is a member of Cruise Critic. As we talk, we’ll mention our “handles” and continue the conversation about some threads that we’ve been on. I agree with the comment that cruising solo is easier on a long cruise than on a short one. You have a greater opportunity of seeing the same folks over and over again. Short cruises tend to attract families, too.

On my first HAL cruises (1999 through early 2000’s), HAL would have Arts & Crafts activities on Sea Days. The sessions usually started out with maybe 10 guests. We’d do different things. (I remember folding menus into boxes, which was really neat.) By the fourth or fifth session, the crowd would be in the 20 - 30 people range because it was so much fun. I’ve gone to needlepoint and cross-stitch sessions on other cruise lines and have always enjoyed the chance to meet other passengers, but nothing matched those HAL Arts & Crafts sessions.

My Dad and I travelled together for many years. After he passed, it took me about a year to “jump in” and try a solo cruise. I booked one that he and I had planned to take but had to cancel when a health issue appeared. Several River Cruise Lines offer “solo special” rates. I’ve never found them on an Ocean Cruise line and definitely not on HAL. What cruise line makes solo cruising easy? In my experience it is HAL. The crew is wonderful!!! They are always friendly, but seem to kick it up a notch when they know you are traveling solo. It may be my imagination, but they seem to go out of their way to watch out for you. I stick with ship sponsored shore excursions. I have never participated in a Meet & Greet and have only attended Solo events on other cruise lines because I am not much of a “joiner”, but have always had a wonderful time cruising solo.

Rich, As you meet your fellow passengers, have you gotten a feel for how many have taken a lot of World/Grand Cruises? Are many of the guests “first timers”? Have you met anyone who has only taken short cruises prior to this one? If so, did they have any problems adjusting to a lot of Sea Days?

As you all know, I’m a lurker. I read The Daily each day but don’t post often. Once in a while, though, I just HAVE to post. I no longer make Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese (a favorite) because of a disaster I had. We had just updated the Alarm System in our house to add a “notify fire department immediately” when a smoke detector went off. I made my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese and spilled some on the bottom of the overn. It caused CLOUDS of smoke. I opened windows and doors, turned on fans, but the smoke kept pouring out of the oven. All of a sudden, I remembered the alarm system upgrade. I called the alarm company with and begged them to quickly call the fire department and tell them it was a cooking accident. There was no fire and all was well. I heard sirens coming from the direction of the fire department station house. I felt terrible about wasting their time. The sirens kept getting louder and louder, but then stopped. I opened the front door and they weren’t in front of our house. They had stopped one block away. There was a Medical Emergency in that block. I tossed my Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese Recipe.

Good Morning, Everyone! I haven’t been on The Daily for about a week. The retirement community where I live has four very large Flea Market Sales each year to support various on campus charities. During Sales weeks I am up early and work through mid-day setting up, restocking, selling and straightening up getting ready for the next day. I am exhausted and it takes several days afterwards to get “back to normal”. I am so sorry to read of all of the challenges that the members of The Daily Family are facing. Please know that my thoughts and prayers are will all of you.

Rich, Thank you for taking the time to do this thread. I am even more grateful for your thoughtful assessment post. I have a Grand Cruise scheduled for next year and, as a solo, was wondering if it would be a fit. Reading your assessment post, I think I will be fine. Continue to post and, if possible, do another assessment post, or two, later in your journey. ENJOY!!!

Thank you so much for following up with me. I got a similar email late yesterday. My Travel Agent is following up with Viking on my Cruise Cancellation. (The Octanis dates don’t work for me.)

I reached out to my Travel Agent again this morning. She reached out to her Viking contact. No email had been sent regarding my booking to either one of us. I had been on a Viking River Cruise in the early 2000’s and thought they had done a great job. Family matters kept me from traveling until very recently. I was quite excited about trying the “new Viking” and booked this and a Mississippi River cruise. I am questioning my decision.

I was scheduled for an Atlantic Coastal on the Polaris starting in Ft. Lauderdale from mid-April through the first week of May. I have received an email notice that my flights (booked with Viking Air) were moved up a week. When I went on MyVikingJourney, I see that my booking was moved to the Octanis. Neither my travel agent nor I have received any official information from Viking.

My Grandfather and Uncle worked at different breweries in Baltimore, MD. I grew up looking at, and drinking from, beer cans. They have really changed through the years. Craft brewers are producing delicious brews and canning them in beautiful cans. I appreciate Beer Cans. I want to Compliment all of the contributors to the Daily. I hope I can give at least One Belly Laugh to someone today.

In 2020, EU and US were readily accepted. In many places, the signage actually showed three currencies — Egyptian, US and EU. I do not remember seeing Canadian dollars posted on any signs.

Thanks, Roy, for doing double duty. I don’t post often, but read daily. Prayers and Blessings, Everyone!

Rich, Thank you so much for taking the time to do these posts. I am really enjoying your cruise!

I am getting more and more excited for you as I read your posts. I now believe that someone at HAL reads CruiseCritic since they chose YOUR old cabin for a contractor and gave you the upgrade. Seattle knows how much you do for them with your Daily and other posts about their product. ENJOY!!!

Bob Voyage and Safe Travels, Rich! Thank you so much for taking us along on your great adventure!

From what you’ve said, I don’t think HAL would work for your teens. HOWEVER, how long is the cruise? How many port days vs sea days? Could you tolerate X number of days without “action” at the pool? If so, AND the price is that good, I would give HAL a try. Entertainment other than music is not a “biggie” on HAL, but the food is good and the cabins are nice. The vibe on HAL does not match what you have described as what you like, but you may find it is acceptable if the price is right.

I was part of a small group put together by my Travel Agent that did a Uniworld Egypt cruise that ended in March 2020, right as COVID hit the mid-Atlantic area of the US. Egypt had been on my bucket list for years and I was familiar with the Uniworld product so thought this trip would fit. All I can say is, it was FANTASTIC!!! I cannot think of anything that could have been better. Out group had cabins throughout the ship and all were satisfied. The excursions were well-organized. The food was good. Our trip had a very large group from the MMA in New York that wanted to be separate. Uniworld handled that by giving them a separate section of the dining room and lounge area, but this did not negatively impact the rest of us. Since my trip was pre-COVID, I cannot speak to any impacts. HOWEVER, I did do a Uniworld trip to Venice September 2021 which was post-COVID. Uniworld followed the protocols for the area.

The Willie Nelson quote is a wonderful thought to take into 2023, so I am writing it on my nice, new calendar. I cannot thank EVERYONE involved with the Daily enough for the love, prayers, thoughts, pictures, caring and sharing that is expressed each and very day. I cannot remember when I first discovered it, but do know that Rich and Roy are the mainstays and deserve the biggest thanks, but I see so many other regulars that make it the wonderful place that it is. Have a Happy, Healthy, Blessed 2023!